The metal hallways had already felt uninviting, something England was sure wouldn't have changed even if he hadn't been accompanied by two guards with guns at his back. The Leader's presence, however, added a cold stillness to their path. The moans from behind the heavy doors had all fallen silent at the sound of his footsteps.

The Leader walked forward with a casual sort of confidence; England couldn't help but wonder how he knew where he was going in such a maze of a building. It felt like the hallways stretched forever as an incomprehensible web, but of course that was impossible.

With the passing scenery consisting of the same grey walls, it was when something changed that England sharply turned his head. A window was to his right, taking up almost the entire wall. Outside it seemed the sun had long since set, and the only visible light source was various blue lights scattered throughout the darkness. They illuminated the shapes of twisted buildings, some tall as sky scrapers, others simple houses. Even from the little amount England could see the buildings obviously stretched for miles.

This must be the city, England thought. If it wasn't for his curent situation he probably would have wanted a closer look. The lights looked almost pretty in the dark, though from what he could see of the structures he could only imagine how foreboding the city looked in the daylight.

He must have slowed without realising, as one of the guards jabbed him in the back with their gun, followed by a curt "Keep moving." England scowled but picked up his pace slightly regardless.

So quick he could have easily imagined it, England thought he saw The Leader glance back at him with a smirk before turning his eyes back on their path. It was fleeting, but the smug message was clear. 'Impressed?' The Leader was showing off. What exactly he expected him to be amazed by England wasn't too sure. If the city was meant to be something to behold then the darkness made that a little difficult. Did he mean to show off the size of the city as a display of his power? Either way the move seemed immature, though in the end this was America.

They continued on in silence, England left only able to wonder where they were going. Guards would pass by them at times, on some sort of patrol, their concealig helmets meaning only the way they tensed as they walked past The Leader was an indication of their true emotions.

If the area had felt still before, then when one of the guards tripped, accidentally knocking into The Leader's shoulder, time might as well have frozen.

The guard went limp as they fell back to their feet, apologising feebly. They obviously felt there was no chance of surrviving this encounter. The same thought obviously crossing their minds, the other guards stiffly stepped away from their companion.

The Leader's eyes were cold, yet he continued to smile.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked in a tone that would have been pleasant in any other conversation.

England stared from The Leader to the guard. While he had been with The Leader for too short a time to accurately predict his actions, if the stories about him were true then it was obvious how this situation would end.

The Leader pulled the gun from his side, a weapon England had almost forgotten The Leader had, and pointed it at the guard. He continued to smile. The guard seemed to accept there was no point in running, simply lowering their head instead.

He was going to kill them, England realised, eyes widened. The Leader—America—was going to personally shoot someone in the head, and for the simple reason that they had walked into him.

There was no time to react. Before anyone could move, The Leader pulled the trigger.

England didn't know what he expected, but it was probably the same as everyone else witnessing the incident. A splatter of blood, a slumped body. Instead, however, the bullet embedded itself into the wall beside the guard's head. No one moved.

The Leader pulled his gun back, the smile gone. "Oh. I missed," he said in bored tone that could easily be used for describing the weather. "Whatever. Leave."

The guard seemed unable to believe their luck. It took a few seconds at most for them to realise what had happened and scramble past The Leader.

Relief hung in the air alongside confusion. Obviously everyone thought The Leader was going to kill that person. It would have been easy from such a distance. So, why let them go?

The Leader smirked suddenly, and he turned, pointing the gun and pulling the trigger once more. This time there was a yell of pain as a bullet met the guard's shoulder.

"Think of that as a warning," The Leader called to the guard, who clutched at their shoulder in obvious pain. And The Leader turned away, as if his mood was brightened, starting back down the path and leaving England with no choice to follow as the guards behind him pushed him forward with a lot more desperation than before. No longer the target of The Leader's rage, other guards ran to their injured companion and hurried them somewhere out of sight, presumably somewhere to be treated.

—Chapter end.

Why does it have to take me so long to upate things nowadays? Oh, yeah, it's because of school and exams and studying. Well, at least I managed to get something written...

A short chapter, but I'm hoping for more stuff to happen next time. As always, please review and tell me what you think ^_^